


Accidents Happen (Falling for You Was No Mistake)

by EzzyDean



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-13
Updated: 2015-08-13
Packaged: 2018-04-14 11:16:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 15,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4562547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EzzyDean/pseuds/EzzyDean
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Interestingly enough it all starts with a letter.</p>
<p><i>Kuroo Tetsurou,</i> he writes, <i>I received your letter and it was a nice surprise.</i></p>
<p>Well technically it started long before then but it was the letter with it's watermelon stationery and much needed words that brought the whole thing into the light of day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. did you get my letter?

**Author's Note:**

> I love unsmooth Kuroo pining over Daichi. I also love moderately more composed Daichi pining over Kuroo. I am 100% in love with the two of them slowly falling in love and dating without realizing they're dating until suddenly Kuroo has clothes in Daichi's tiny excuse for a closet and Daichi has an extra toothbrush in Kuroo's bathroom "just for him" and they both have collections of each other's favorite movies on their netflix queue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've read my [ 100 Ways to Say I Love You](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4350755) collection you'll see this first chapter there as well. I wrote that and then started talking with some friends and the next thing I knew this fic happened.

It’s really the last thing he expects, especially since he and Kuroo text all the time these days now that Daichi is at a Tokyo university.  Not quite as much as he and Suga or he and Asahi do, Kuroo has yet to reach best friend level of texting but he’s attempting to.  As if the very thought of him summons his attention Daichi’s phone vibrates with a new text message from Kuroo as he stares down at the envelope on his counter.

_Cap’n Cat:  Did you get my letter?_

_Daichi:  Why did you send me a letter?  We text all the time.  We see each other 3 times a week.  You’re texting me right now._

_Cap’n Cat:  All that is true but come on.  There’s something nice about seeing a letter addressed to you.  Right?  Makes your place feel a little more like home?_

Something knots in his chest and then loosens a breath later.  Because of course Kuroo remembers that conversation.  It had been his first week in Tokyo, their first week of university, and they had been somewhere between tipsy and flat out drunk on a bottle of questionable something or another that Daichi still can’t believe he let Kuroo talk him into drinking.  They had shared secrets that weren’t really secrets between breathy laughs with flushed cheeks.

Kuroo told him how he was worried for Kenma and the others, how they would work together without him there to tease and poke and pull the awkwardness into the light of day.

Daichi had told Kuroo how his tiny cheap just off campus apartment felt strangely empty considering how much of his stuff was crammed into it.

Kuroo told about the time he had mistakenly called Yaku mom and kissed his cheek while sick.

Daichi admitted to calling Suga mom unironically (and missing him almost as much as his actual mother.)

Somewhere between the bottle emptying and the sun rising they had fallen asleep on the floor of Kuroo’s apartment.  Daichi had woken up with a dry mouth, Kuroo’s head under his shoulder, and a severe aversion to artificial watermelon flavor.

Months later he’s staring at a cutesy envelope with matching stationery and rolling his eyes at the little watermelon with it’s blushing cheeks and little heart inside a pink speech bubble.

 

_Sawamura Daichi,_

_There’s a lot of things we’ve already said to each other.  A lot of things we knew before we even really talked properly.  There’s also a lot we have never said._

_One of those things is that I’m glad we’re friends, glad you texted me back after our last match, glad you get drunk with me and indulge in my ridiculousness and tell me stupid secrets that are really a surprise to no one._

_Here’s to hoping that you’re glad too._

_Your friend,_

_Kuroo_

 

He debates what to do with it for a minute before sticking it on the fridge with the volleyball magnets the team had given him as a graduation gift.

It does make him feel a little more like he’s at home here in his tiny cramped place with the squeaky closet door and window that sticks open.

He digs through his boxes and bags until he finds the stationery set that the magnets had come with.

 

 _Kuroo Tetsurou,_ he writes, _I received your letter and it was a nice surprise._

 


	2. the koala-ty gods of electricity

“Let me grab something to drink and I’ll help.”  Daichi has his mouth open to tell Kuroo to wait but it’s too late.  Kuroo reaches out and yanks open the door to Daichi’s ancient fridge and he hears the telltale pop in the wall and groans as the lights in the kitchen go dark.

“Not again.”

“Dude. Seriously?  All I did was open the fridge.”

“While I had the rice cooker running.”

“Really?” Daichi slips past Kuroo in the tiny darkened kitchen area and grabs his flashlight from beside the fridge.  He’s had to do this three times this week already and he really doesn’t understand why there are no working lights in the basement.

“I told you.  If I have the rice cooker plugged in and running I can’t use the microwave or blender or, half the time, open the fridge without a circuit tripping.”  He grabs the first jacket his hands find and slips it on.  “And then I have to trek down three flights of stairs to the basement where the circuit box is hidden in a cobwebby corner and reset it.”

Kuroo slips into his shoes and follows Daichi into the hallway, still wearing his faded Nekoma hoodie since he’s been in Daichi’s apartment all of five minutes before managing to knock out three-quarters of the electricity in the place.

“Your apartment sucks.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

“When koalas climb down trees they go butt first.”

Daichi pauses and glances over his shoulder at Kuroo who simply shrugs and keeps walking so that he bumps into Daichi’s back and hooks his chin over Daichi’s shoulder.

“I’m not sure if I am more amused by the fact you know that or that you answered so quickly with that particular fact.”

“Hey my facts are koala-ty.”

“Ugh,” Daichi groans at Kuroo’s “I’m always this kind” tone and shoves Kuroo’s grinning face away from his shoulder.  “You’re the worst.”

“At least my apartment isn’t some dysfunctional death trap where you have to make sacrifices to the gods of electronics to make a bowl of rice.”  They get all the way down to the basement before Kuroo gasps dramatically.  “Are you taking me into the dungeon to sacrifice me?  Is that why you invited me over?”

“Yes Kuroo,” Daichi sighs as he turns on the flashlight and maneuvers around the maze of cardboard boxes to the circuit box, “that is why I invited you.  So I can make my rice and watch reruns of cartoons at the same time in peace once I appease the gods of electronics.”  He flashes the beam of light into Kuroo’s face for a second before directing it to the middle of the boxes.  “Please remember to take your shoes off before getting into the ritual circle.  The gods don’t like shoelaces.  Something about them being too stringy.”  He adds over his shoulder as he unlatches the door and winces at the screeching hinge and turning his flashlight back onto the box.  “I don’t know.  Talking to the gods of electronics was more Tsukishima’s thing than mine.”

He can feel Kuroo’s narrowed gaze on his back.  “Sometimes I can’t tell when you’re joking.”

He flips the switch he needs, slams the door shut, and turns back to Kuroo with the flashlight under his chin, beam lighting his face as he gives Kuroo the creepiest stare he can.

“My jokes are as koala-ty as your facts are.”

“Did you just…” Kuroo leans forward and squints at Daichi before reaching up and tapping his nose once.  Daichi scrunches his nose at the coldness of Kuroo’s finger.  “You’re adorable in a strange way when you sass me.”


	3. when did you get a dog?

Something about the way the chipper ringtone of his phone fills his small apartment always makes him leave it on unless he’s in class or at his job.  He doesn’t know if it’s because it makes the space feel a little more friendly or makes the walls seem a little less drab, Psychology wasn’t his major after all, all he knew is that hearing it usually brought at least a tiny smile to his face and made his chest feel light.

Unless it was three in the morning.  Then he wavered between irritation and dread because no good phone call ever happened at three in the morning.  At three in the morning that chipper ringtone sounded mocking and sinister and the flashing of his phone lighting up the room gave him a headache as he crawled to where his phone was plugged in at.

Seeing Cap’n Cat with Kuroo’s ridiculous grin flashing on the screen didn’t exactly ease the apprehension in his gut.  The kind of reasons Kuroo called him at three in the morning couldn’t be good ones and flashes of Kuroo hurt in a gutter somewhere or panicking over classes or family issues rattle through him before he even answers the call.

“Hello?”

A rough giggle fills his ear.

“Kuroo?”

“Shhh.  Daichi.  Listen.”

He hears rustling and more giggles and then what he thinks might be a squeaky toy of some kind.

“Kuroo do you realize what time it is?”

“Daichi you don’t understand.”  Kuroo slurs through his name and into the next sentence and Daichi sighs.  Because he recognizes that breathy quality of Kuroo’s voice even though he’s only heard it a couple of times since he moved here.  “Just.  Just shut up and listen this is of the most utmost importance.”

Another voice comes through the phone, muffled and distant like Kuroo has his phone held against his chest, and then everything clears out again and he hears a laugh that sounds somewhat familiar.

“Are you drunk with Bokuto?”

“Yes.  And you have to hear it.  You have to hear these hiccups.  Just.  Seriously listen.”

Daichi falls back onto his bed with a tired groan.  He, unlike Kuroo, has to be up for an 8 AM class.  He should just hang up, put his phone on silent, and go back to bed.

But he can’t.  Because it’s Kuroo and now he’s curious about what’s so special about Bokuto’s hiccups that Kuroo just had to share with him.

And if he’s a little touched by the fact that Kuroo has something he wants to share specifically with him well, that’s between Daichi and his apartment ceiling that he’s currently staring at.

He listens closely and can hear Kuroo pouring something and Bokuto giggling.  There’s some minor chattering that he can’t quite understand and then he hears it again.  That squeaky toy sound.

“Why do you have a squeaky toy in your apartment?”

“That’s Bokuto.”  Kuroo states seriously before suddenly giggling when the squeak happens again.  “He squeaks when he hiccups.  Isn’t that adorable?”

“You called me at 3 AM because Bokuto sounds like a squeaky toy when he hiccups.”  It wasn’t a question but Kuroo answers anyway.

“Yes.”

Daichi hangs up the phone and silences it before rolling over and burying his head under his pillows.

 

He makes sure to call Kuroo as soon as he wakes up at seven the next morning.  He knows that Kuroo never shuts his phone off and even when drunk almost always falls asleep with it near him.  He also knows that his ringtone on Kuroo’s phone is obscenely loud.

A muffled slur greets him when Kuroo finally picks up.

“Good morning, Kuroo.”

“What?  Do you realize you’re calling me at,” Kuroo’s voice fades as he pulls the phone away to check the time, “seven in the morning when I don’t have classes?”

“Just wanted to remind you to drink some water for your hangover.”  He does absolutely nothing to hide the mirth in his voice.

“I… I, uh, called you didn’t I?”

“At 3 AM.”

“Oh.”

“So I could listen to Bokuto sounding like a squeaky toy.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.  You owe me some seriously good coffee.”  Daichi grabs his stuff and heads out for his class.  “Have fun with your hangover.”  He hears half a groan before Kuroo hangs up and can’t help but laugh despite being exhausted.


	4. kindness is it's own reward

He was pretty sure he was seeing rainbows dancing a jitterbug across his eyelids and his stomach was somewhere in the vicinity of his throat and trying to climb higher with each cough that rattled his bones.  The throbbing in his head made him wish he was hungover on cheap booze with Kuroo breathing stalely in his face.  His feet were frozen but according to the thermometer in his mouth he might as well have been on fire.

And it was all Kuroo’s fault.

Okay, he admits as he stares balefully at his open curtains that he just physically cannot bring himself to get up and close, it wasn’t all Kuroo’s fault since Daichi himself was the one who insisted on stopping by Kuroo’s place when he was sick last week and buying him medicine and whatnot.  Now he was curled up on his couch in the ugly yet extremely comfortable “Papa Bear” sweater his Karasuno kids had given him for his birthday, a pair of sweatpants he can’t quite remember when he last washed, two pairs of socks, and with every blanket he could find in his tiny apartment wrapped around him.

This was just the world’s way of punishing him for being nice.

_ Suga Sweet: are you dead? _

_ Daichi: I think I wish I was.  This is why I’m not nice to people.  Niceness makes bad things happen to me. _

_ Daichi: That cat jerk changed your name in my phone again. _

_ Suga Sweet: aw i liked Sugamama.  who am i now? _

_ Daichi: Suga Sweet. _

_ Suga Sweet: hmmm that’s not so bad.  i gotta head to my late class.  take care of yourself and don’t make me come over there. _

_ Daichi: Okay. _

_ Suga Sweet: I mean it Sawamura Daichi.  Do not make me come over because you refuse to take care of yourself properly.  I will get on a train and show up at your apartment. _

_ Daichi: I will do my best. _

 

The unfortunate thing about one of his best friends being who he is - the friendly caring person he is in particular - is that his best friend is who he is.  Because Daichi falls asleep curled up on the couch and misses Suga’s three texts and two phone calls and wakes up to Kuroo gently shaking him by the shoulder and telling him he let himself in because Suga had texted him.

Kuroo’s voice is pulsing in his brain along with each heartbeat thrumming in his eardrums despite how quietly he’s speaking as Daichi groans and pulls himself into a sitting position.

The curtains are closed against the setting sun and he has enough time to wonder just how long Kuroo has been there before the smell of soup suddenly clears through his nostrils and his stomach jumps onto the back of his tongue.  He makes it to the bathroom on watery legs and loses whatever little bit of crackers and sports drink he had managed to down earlier in the day.  He drops the toilet lid and presses his cheek against the cool surface and debates just staying there and shivering to death on the cold tile floor of the bathroom.  Not his ideal way to go but considering the alternative right now is getting back up and shivering to death on the couch - which requires moving and getting up - he thinks that staying here sounds fine.

 

Kuroo’s hand is warm and solid between his shoulders, a comfortable weight holding him steady when the world goes a little fuzzy on him and he decides that the bathroom floor is a perfectly fine place to spend the rest of his night.  Except he’s not on the bathroom floor anymore; he’s on the couch again and when the fuzz clears a little he pulls the thought  _ how much time did I lose _ from the cotton ball words in his mind before he loses a little more time and opens his eyes to find himself with his head on Kuroo’s thigh and Kuroo’s hand smoothing his sweaty bangs from his face.

“Hey there, Papa Bear.  You feeling up to some soup now?  At least get something in your stomach so you can take some medicine?”

“No.” Daichi groans as he slowly sits up with Kuroo’s help.  His mouth tastes like he ate something rotten and feels like he’s been trying to gargle with sand.  “But I’ll do it anyway.”

“You make a much better patient than I do.”  Kuroo says later as he takes Daichi’s mostly empty bowl from him and hands him some medicine.  “Thank you for that, by the way.  I don’t think I told you that yet.”  Daichi grimaces as he swallows the medicine and sinks back onto the couch.

“I figured you’d get there eventually.”

Kuroo takes his garbage and used tissues and he stares at the curtains across from his spot on the couch as he listens to Kuroo wash his dishes.

Daichi loses some time again but he expects it this time due to the medicine.  

What he doesn’t quite expect is to wake up on the couch still with his head on Kuroo’s thigh again and Kuroo asleep with his hand on Daichi’s shoulder and his head leaning against the back of the couch with his neck twisted awkwardly.

But things have been worse.  At least the rainbows have stopped dancing across the back of his eyelids.


	5. being lost isn't so lonely with you here by my side

"I like the cereal you had last week better.  This one is too sweet."

"Then go back to your apartment and buy your own cereal.”  Daichi pauses with his spoon halfway to his mouth and scowls at Kuroo.  “Why are you always here anyway?  Your apartment is bigger and brighter and you don't have to make sacrifices to the gods of electronics to cook rice.  And all your favorite food is there."

"You have a bunch of my favorite food here."

"Because you went grocery shopping while I was sick and bought nothing but  your  favorite foods.  And every time you come over and eat  my  food you come back again with more of  _ your  _ favorite food.  If you’re going to keep using my food and appliances and dishes at least bring me something I like once in awhile."

“I bring myself.”  Kuroo’s grin is wide and sly, that stupid captain grin he always got before matches, the one meant to rile people up that comes with a raised eyebrow and a wink.  “You like me don’t you.”

There’s something a little unsure in Kuroo’s eyes that makes Daichi bite back his initial scoff.  Something a little like that glint Daichi sees in his own eyes in the mornings when he looks a little too closely in the mirror for just a little too long when he’s not sure if this is really where he wants to be and what he wants to be doing.

He sighs instead as he swirls the last of his cereal around before scooping it up.  “Some days I do I suppose.  Other days, well, it’s debatable.”

“Ow.  You wound me, Sawamura Daichi.”  

Kuroo’s smiles have always been a little bit infectious where Daichi is concerned and this one is no different as he finds himself smiling back at Kuroo.

There’s just something about sitting at his wobbly table on uncomfortable chairs with Kuroo’s elbow making itself at home maybe a little too close to his own, Kuroo’s knee bumping into his when he laughs and stretches, and Kuroo’s very own bowl (that he brought from his own apartment because Daichi always complained about Kuroo using his dishes) that makes everything feel comfortable.  Makes it feel right.  Like even though they were two eighteen year olds who barely knew anything about life and what they were doing and they were eating cheap cereal for supper for the third time that week because real food is expensive and cereal takes all of two minutes to prepare they were going to be okay.

“Hey.  Earth to Papa Bear.”  Daichi blinks away his thoughts and drains the milk from his bowl as Kuroo laughs.  “Thought you were lost for a minute.”

“Even if I was you’re here so at least I’m not lost alone.”

“Yeah.”  Kuroo’s voice sounds a little strangled as Daichi stands and sets his bowl in the sink but when he glances over his shoulder Kuroo’s smile is the same as usual.  “If we’re lost at least we’re lost together.”


	6. accidents happen (at 1AM)

Daichi is not stupid.  No one has ever accused him of being stupid; not to his face anyway.  But once he realizes it he can’t believe it took him so long to see it and he wonders for a moment if Suga and Asahi have noticed it.  Most likely they have.  Suga is almost uncannily observant and Asahi knows Daichi too well sometimes so there is no way it has entirely escaped their notice, not when he texts them almost every day and has a video chat with one or both of them at least twice a week.

The thing is that if Daichi is comfortable with something, with how something is happening, he tends to just go with it.  He doesn’t even think about how to handle it or how to explain it.  He just accepts it and moves on to the next thing.  His life is a symphony of things and habits that have turned into background noise that he just seamlessly incorporates it into his life.

But the thing is it’s not something small like his tastebuds adjusting to cheap cereal and his digestive system handling day old milk.  It’s not needing to jiggle his keys just right to unlock the door or remembering to unplug the rice cooker before opening the fridge or any of the hundred other tiny things he’s had to start doing since moving out of his parent’s house and into his first apartment.

The thing is… he’s incorporated Kuroo into his life.

His life doesn’t revolve around Kuroo or anything like that but Kuroo is a part of it.

Last year when he had imagined university life and being on his own and the things that went with it he hadn’t been picturing having anyone close to him.  Suga and Asahi were heading different directions and he would be hours away from any of his Crows so he never had dreams, if that’s what he wanted to call the occasional scenario he made up in his head of his future, that involved someone falling asleep on his couch and bitching about the crick in his neck the next morning.  He never imagined someone having an extra key to his place and taking care of him while he was sick or buying him crappy groceries.  He never imagined having a friend that he would feel comfortable enough around to get pass out drunk with and sleep on their floor.

He never imagined having a friend in university that he could read almost as well as he could read Suga - which wasn’t nearly as well as he could read Asahi because Suga was a crafty little shit and so was Kuroo.

He never imagined sitting at his wobbly little table with textbooks spread across the tiny worn surface with notebooks covered in two sets of handwriting; they were taking different majors but had a handful of the same basic requirements to cover so studying together was at least a twice a week thing (along with the aforementioned video calls with Suga and Asahi and on one memorable occasion Suga, Asahi, Kuroo, Yaku, and Bokuto.)

He had imagined making friends, which he did, studying with them in cafes and libraries and diners, which happened, getting pretty drunk at parties and stumbling home, which happened a couple times.

But he never imagined anyone  _ close  _ to him.

Which, along with his strange ability to just streamline familiar parts of his life into background noise, is the reason he drops the carton of milk and spills it all over the counter and himself when he rolls his eyes because of course Kuroo bought the brand that  _ he  _ likes and not the brand Daichi prefers and suddenly he realizes it.

He curses under his breath as he mops up milk from the floor with his socks and a dish towel as he grabs paper towels to clean up the mess on the counter.

Of course he would realize how close Kuroo’s managed to get to him while he was in his tiny kitchen area at one in the morning drinking milk out of the carton.

Because this is his life and suddenly things that hadn’t made sense but he had simply filed away into white noise make sense now.

Things like Suga teasing him about Kuroo replacing him as Daichi’s best friend and Asahi scratching nervously at his chin when Kuroo popped over Daichi’s shoulder to say hi as he was leaving after studying during one of their video chats and Bokuto’s hoot of laughter when Kuroo retold the story of him having to let himself into Daichi’s place and nurse his sick butt back to health (and the almost embarrassed flush to Kuroo’s face at Yaku’s stare that night.)

Because from what he knows of Kuroo he makes plenty of friends but, like Daichi, there aren’t a lot of people he lets close to him.  He’s sure there aren’t many people who have seen Kuroo pale and sick and looking like death itself had been sleeping with him sitting in his bathtub because he was too exhausted to make it back to his bed by himself.  Or have seen him so drunk that he can barely see what’s right in front of him (something Daichi’s nose can attest to being a thing that happens thanks to Kuroo’s drunk-wobbly knee.)  Or that know that even if he sleeps with his head between two pillows he still wakes up sometimes in the middle of the night, wired and shaking and dreading everything until he hears a familiar voice.

He’s not entirely sure when Kuroo shifted from being labeled in his mind as just Nekoma’s Captain to being Daichi's friend.

He sighs and sticks the carton of milk back in the fridge and glances at the papers stuck to the door.

Okay.  So he knows when.  Right around the time he got that ridiculous letter and felt that knot of worry and confusion and whatever else had been settled in his chest loosen up at seeing Kuroo’s name and that stupid watermelon stationery.

He had never intended to fall into such a close friendship so quickly when he went to university but as he peels off his milk soaked socks and tosses them into his laundry basket, smiling as he sees them land on a Nekoma t-shirt Kuroo had somehow left behind the other day and immediately start soaking it with milk, he can’t say as he minds too much.

 

Accidents happen, after all, and some come with better results than others.


	7. who even knows what a spleen is anyway?

His first clue had been Kuroo’s text telling him the door would be unlocked and he could come in as soon as he got there.  Kuroo rarely left his door unlocked, even when he was at home, and always tried to greet Daichi at the door; Kuroo had exceptional manners for the most part, which always seemed to surprise people.  They expected him to be brash and mouthy and rude, especially to strangers, when in all honesty he was very polite and kind.  It was once he got to know you or felt comfortable around you that he dropped his manners and relaxed into his sarcasm.

His second clue had been Kuroo calling out distractedly from somewhere near the hallway towards his bedroom when he stepped inside and called out a greeting.  Kuroo used his bedroom for sleeping and that was it.  Well Daichi was sure Kuroo did  other things there too but that wasn’t anything he paid attention to or wanted to, really.  The point is that Kuroo has no real reason to be distracted enough near the hallway towards his bedroom to not answer the door when Daichi arrives because he does all his studying and leisure reading either at the kitchen table or in the living room.

Unless he’s hurt or sick again and too embarrassed to even text Daichi and let him know.

Daichi steps out of the entryway and around the corner to the living room a little quicker than he intends, phone already out in case this is an emergency, and stops in his tracks.  He’s sure his mouth is hanging open but he can’t help but blink stupidly at what he’s seeing.

Kuroo is not, in fact, injured in any way that he can tell.  Unless he hit his head on something.  On second thought that or being sick are the only rational explanations he can think of for what he’s seeing.

“Kuroo,” Daichi sighs, “why are you sitting in a box?”

Kuroo glances up at him for a moment and grins.

Kuroo’s not just sitting in a box.  He’s sitting in a box that’s big enough that Daichi can only just see the top of his bedhead sticking out when he, presumably, drops his chin back to his chest to better see whatever he’s doing.  It’s big enough that he’s most likely sitting crosslegged and Daichi’s pretty sure he can see part of one of Kuroo’s blankets hanging off the back edge of the box.

Daichi tosses his phone onto the couch and steps closer, eyes narrowing when he sees the headphones in Kuroo’s ears and the flashing of his laptop screen.

“Are you watching a movie?”

Kuroo hums and pulls one side of the headphone out before pausing the movie and smiling up at Daich when he leans closer.

“Yep.  Wanna join me?  It’s comfy in here.”

“Comfy.”

“Yep.”

“In a box.”

“Mhmm.”

“No thanks.”  Daichi straightens and glances around the room.  Searching for what, he doesn’t even know.  Kuroo pouts up at him and reaches out to wrap cool fingers around his wrist.  It always surprises Daichi a little how easily Kuroo’s fingers fit around his wrist and how cool they always are.

“You don’t wanna be in a box with me?”

“Whether I want to or not, the box is not big enough for both of us Kuroo.”

“You’re just saying that cause you’re a spoilsport.”

Kuroo’s fingers are still around his wrist and he uses his free hand to tug his headphones off and lift his laptop out of the box and gently toss it onto the nearby couch.  Daichi has a half a second to realize Kuroo’s plan - he’s a little slow thanks to still being surprised to find his 18 year old friend sitting in a box like a child playing pretend - which is just enough time for his eyes to widen and a protest to form on the back of his tongue.

Then they’re both a jumble of arms and legs and Kuroo’s hair is in his mouth and one of his hands is a the bottom of the box near Kuroo’s hip and the other is trying to grab Kuroo’s shoulder while Kuroo laughs and squirms and attempts to get his knees into a comfortable position, the fingers of one hand  _ still _ wrapped around Daichi’s wrist and the others tangled in Daichi’s shirt.  They struggle a bit more, both too breathless from laughing and elbowing each other in the ribs and stomach to really say anything, and then Daichi freezes when he hears it.

The box bows and shudders a little before one entire corner rips and Daichi’s entire world shifts.

He opens his eyes with a groan that Kuroo matches from underneath him; he has a spectacular view of a sweatshirt he is about eighty percent is his own and not, in fact, Kuroo’s.

“My box,” Kuroo whines as he cranes his neck to look at the now ripped cardboard surrounding them.

“I told you.”

“You didn’t have to break it.”

Daichi digs his chin into Kuroo’s chest as he tries to pulls his arm out from under Kuroo.  "Stop pouting Kuroo."

"But wasn't it comfortable and, I dunno, safe feeling in there?"

"Not really.  Your knee was in my spleen."

"Was not.  Your liver maybe.  But not your spleen."

"Do you even know what a spleen is?"

“Do you,” Kuroo challenges as he pokes Daichi’s side. 

“Why did you even have a box that big?”

Kuroo hums as he reaches up to grab a pillow from the couch and prop it under his head, then drops his hand back onto Daichi’s lower back.

“It had a bunch of clothes and magazines and high school stuff in it and I finally had a chance to dig through it and sort everything.”

“So when you realized you had a giant empty box your next thought was, naturally, to sit in it and watch movies on your laptop?”

“Yes.  You know,” Kuroo adds after a minute, fingers of the hand still holding Daichi’s wrist relaxing as he runs his thumb across the skin, “you didn’t answer my question.”

“Which one?”

“ _ Do _ you know what a spleen is?”


	8. when did you get a cat?

There’s a splash of sauce of some kind on Asahi’s forehead, a smattering of rice on Suga’s cheek and a bowl of something Daichi is sure they mixed wrong on the counter in front of him when they hear the sound just barely audible over the combined noise of their laughter.  Asahi freezes at the loud meowing and looks around worriedly as Suga grabs a dish towel to wipe up their mess.

“Daichi.  When did you get a cat?  I thought pets weren’t allowed here?”  Asahi asks.

“It’s not a cat,” Daichi replies and then sighs.  “Okay it kind of is I guess.  But not really and it doesn’t live here or anything.”  Suga motions Asahi to lean down and manages to wipe the sauce from his forehead without even looking away from Daichi and, yeah, Daichi is both relieved and scared to note that Suga’s stare can still make him want to spill every secret he has.  “Could you not give me the disappointed parent look for once Suga?  It’s a text from Kenma.  Kozume from Nekoma?  Kuroo is a dumbass and changes not only my contact info but my ringtones any chance he gets.”

“Doesn’t he realize you can just lock your phone to avoid stuff like that?”  Asahi asks quietly as Daichi heads off to find where he left his phone near the couch.

“I think he’s too busy not realizing that he might as well just let the cat move in to remember details like that.”

“So do you think they’re…?”

“I have no idea Asahi.  I don’t think they even know.”  Suga shrugs as Daichi comes back in with a frown.  “What’s that look for?”  He asks as he plucks the phone from Daichi’s hand.

_ Kitten Paws: KB VBI eta 30 min _

“What in the world does that mean?”

"Kuroo and Bokuto are coming in less than a half hour and had a Very Bad Idea.  Please get the first aid kit from the bathroom while I find some old towels."

They leave Asahi to clean up the kitchen while Suga heads to the bathroom and Daichi starts digging into the box in his tiny closet.

“Why do you need the first aid kit?”  Suga calls out.  “Okay better question.  Why do you have a full sized first aid kit?  This thing is huge.”

“Suga,” Daichi replies as he collects a couple towels, “have you met Kuroo?  Like at all?  Do you remember how he is with Bokuto around?  Remember camp?  Well it’s a hundred times worse now that they’re supposedly adults.”

“Okay.  So what kind of bad idea-”

“Very Bad Idea.” Daichi interrupts.  “Capital letters.”

“Very Bad Idea.  Right.  What kind of Very Bad Idea did they have?”

“Who knows.  Last time it involved a disco light, a tree, and rollerblades.  The texts are just kind of a general warning if we know they’re in the area with ideas.”

 

It’s not until there’s a knock at the door and Kuroo and Bokuto stumble in wincing and bleeding that Daichi even stops to think about the logistics that are going to be involved in having five of them here.  Five adult males, though he is using the word adult in kind of the most literal definition of the fact that they’re all university students and supposedly capable of taking care of themselves and old enough to live alone, in his tiny apartment.

“How have the two of you even managed to stay alive this long?”

Kuroo is rubbing at his ripped jeans and bleeding knee with hands that are equally scraped and messy.  There’s a scrape on his chin and what Daichi guesses is the bruise from the impact of Bokuto’s forehead on his cheek.  Bokuto looks like his nose just finished bleeding on the way up to Daichi’s apartment and he keeps twitching his shoulders uncomfortably in a way that gives Daichi a sneaking suspicion there are scrapes that match Kuroo’s arms on Bokuto’s back.

“I don’t even want to know what happened.”  Kuroo and Bokuto sheepishly slip out of their shoes and just stand there waiting.

Suga lets out a sigh that Daichi hasn’t heard since some time near the beginning of third year when Hinata and Kageyama used to get into near brawls on a daily basis.  “Okay you two,” Suga says and they both give him a smile that does nothing to soften his tone.  “Bokuto take a towel from Daichi for your nose and go lay down on the couch.  Kuroo go to the bathroom and wait in there.  One of us will be in to deal with each of you.”  He runs a hand through his hair and gives Daichi a look that he knows means Suga can’t quite believe they have to deal with this kind of stuff now that they’re no longer captain and vice-captain to a bunch of unruly teenage boys.  “Flip you for the bathroom?”

 

That’s how Daichi finds himself kneeling next to the couch with a surprisingly passive shirtless Bokuto with nasty scrapes on his back while they both try to stifle their laughter at Kuroo’s indignant yelps and pouts and Suga’s unimpressed replies coming from the bathroom.

“Suga no.”

“I will sit on you I swear.”

“Suga.”

Daichi can just picture Suga in the doorway of his tiny bathroom, hands on his hips while he stares at Kuroo.  Bokuto snickers and then lets out a little whimper.

“Man my back is killing me.  Kuroo needs to stop so I can stop laughing.”

“If you don’t like being treated then don’t get hurt.”  Suga has yet to actually raise his voice but Daichi still instinctively winces a little at the tone.  Even Bokuto stills and then shudders as he tries to contain another laugh.  “Kuroo.”

Asahi peeks out from the kitchen area and shakes his head when he meets Daichi’s gaze.  He knows that tone.  He is not going near that.

Instead he grabs Daichi’s phone and scrolls through until he finds what he assumes to be Akaashi’s contact and sends a message to him and Kenma both.

_ Papa Bear: this is azumane. bokuto is on the couch w/ daichi as his medic. suga is mom voicing kuroo in the bathroom.  can't see from here but probably has hands on hips and "mom" stare happening _

After a moment he sends another message.

_ Papa Bear: btw either of you know a good recipe for cookies to make in very temperamental oven i feel like i could be here awhile _

It only takes a minute or two to get a response.

_ moist owlette: I’m sure he deserves the mom voice.  I’ve always found sugar cookies easy to make. _

The recipe Akaashi sends is simple enough and Asahi digs around the kitchen and manages to find everything he needs while he listens to Suga continuing to scold Kuroo and Daichi trying not to laugh too hard while cleaning the scrapes on Bokuto’s back.

He’s so caught up in half listening to the conversations and being glad he’s not on the receiving end of Suga’s lecturing that he forgets the most important rule of Daichi’s kitchen: don’t open the fridge if you have something plugged in and running next to the sink.  Unfortunately his long arms and Daichi’s tiny kitchen make it easy for him to open the fridge while using the hand mixer he found under the sink.  He realizes his mistakes the millisecond before everything goes dark.

“I’m sorry,” he half whines as he slowly shuts the fridge door, as if that will somehow make the lights pop back on.  He’s been downstairs into Daichi’s creepy basement.  He really doesn’t want to go by himself.

“I’ll go!” Kuroo shouts from the bathroom and then yelps when he runs into Suga and falls backwards onto the toilet.  He yelps again when the antiseptic in Suga’s hand spills onto his arms.  “I’m gonna get more bruises, Suga.”

Daichi taps Bokuto’s shoulder.  “Stay still and don’t bleed on my couch.”  Bokuto hums and asks if he can just take a nap.  “I don’t care.  Just don’t move much.  I know it’s a crappy couch but I can’t afford a new one.  I can barely afford to buy cereal.”

Kuroo is whimpering in the bathroom as Suga tells him if he would just stay still it would hurt less when Daichi shuffles into the kitchen and grabs the flashlight with a quiet “Let’s go, Asahi” tossed over his shoulder.

Daichi could make the trip to the basement and into the corner in his sleep and a couple minutes later he’s once again sitting next to the couch where Bokuto is already dozing despite Daichi working on his back while Asahi returns to his cookies in the kitchen and Kuroo is apparently renewing his efforts to get Suga to let him go.

 

Kuroo can hear Daichi out there trying not to laugh at him.  It’s doing absolutely nothing except making Suga’s smile widen and get a slightly scary edge to it.  But it’s not like Kuroo can really help it.  It  _ hurts _ when Suga uses the antiseptic stuff and Kuroo already feels ridiculous enough right now having to drag himself to Daichi’s place after letting himself get swept away by one of Bokuto’s ideas.  If Suga would just let him go he’d take care of it himself.  Preferably in his own apartment where he can wallow in shame by himself where no one, especially Daichi, can see him.

He decides to try one more time.  It should be easy enough.  He’s got at least four inches and thirty pounds on Suga after all.

 

Daichi glances up at the crash and yelp that sounds this time and watches Suga stroll out of the bathroom with a smile on his face as he wipes his hands on a towel.

"Do you know how hard it is to get wet jeans off Sugawara?  You're a demon.”  Kuroo’s voice follows Suga to the couch where he moves Bokuto’s feet so he can sit on the couch.

"Daichi you have an angry wet kitten in your bathroom.  You should probably find some towels before it drips everywhere."

Kuroo is struggling to sit up properly and shut off the shower at the same time when Daichi steps inside and bursts out laughing at the sight of him in the tub.

“He hip checked me into the tub and turned the water on.  I thought he was the nice one,” Kuroo practically hisses when Daichi turns off the water and hands over a towel.

“Your mistake,” Daichi murmurs as he helps Kuroo stand.


	9. worthy causes

“I never get sick.”  Kuroo is on the end of the couch, curled into as small of a ball as he can be and pouting as he sneezes again.  “If I get sick for the second time in a couple of months because of your evil friend I am totally blaming you and you’re nursing me back to health.”

“As if I wouldn’t do that anyway,” Daichi replies when he comes back with his thick comforter.  “Besides if you hadn’t gotten injured with Bokuto or just sat still or hadn’t tried to sass Suga none of this would have happened and you wouldn’t have wound up looking like a wet cat.”

Kuroo huffs and pouts and immediately flops over against Daichi’s side when he settles onto the couch and tosses the comforter over them both.

“You have evil friends.”

“So do you.  Or do I need to remind you about the time Yaku nearly chopped off my finger making pudding?”

Kuroo picks up Daichi’s hand and inspects the still bright white scar on his finger.  “Still not entirely sure how he managed that.  It was pudding.  Who needs a knife to make pudding?”

“Yaku apparently.”  He flips through the Netflix queue on his tv until he finds a movie they both enjoy watching and tosses the remote near Kuroo’s feet.  “You feeling any warmer?”

“Yeah.  You have really comfy sweatshirts.”

“That’s because I have actually gone to stores and purchased new clothes since I was a second year in high school unlike you and your threadbare t shirts and holey socks.”

Kuroo rolls his eyes and reaches out towards the plate he knows is on the little table next to the couch on the other side of Daichi’s arm.

“Shut up they’re comfortable.  Pass me a cookie.”

With that they settle in.  Or attempt to anyway.  After a particularly hilarious scene that has Kuroo spraying cookie crumbs from his mouth Daichi tells him not to get crumbs everywhere.  Kuroo responds a few minutes later by intentionally dropping half a cookie down the inside of Daichi’s shirt and crumbling it against his chest.  At some point they stop watching the movie and start attempting to shove popcorn and cookies inside each other’s clothes and Daichi is rather proud of getting popcorn into Kuroo’s borrowed socks.

The arm of the couch is pressing into his neck and his chest is tight from laughing so hard when they finally come to a stop with Daichi’s head pillowed on the arm of the couch and Kuroo flopped on top of him.

“Asahi will be so upset if he finds out we smashed most of the cookies he left us.”

“It was for a worthy cause,” Kuroo laughs as he reaches up and ruffles cookie crumbs out of Daichi’s hair.

Daichi blinks at the way the light from the tv makes Kuroo’s eyes dance and sparkle in the dim room and something in his chest tightens.  Or maybe that’s just Kuroo himself, he thinks when Kuroo raises an eyebrow at him.  All brightness and cheer and stealing his breath like a sucker punch when he smiles up from where his head is resting against Daichi’s chest.

“Definitely a worthy cause.”


	10. when you finally realize it... it's too late

“You do realize it’s two in the morning, right?”  Daichi yawns when Kuroo opens the door.  “Do you realize what I had to do to get here?”

“I know.  I owe you buckets of coffee.  I just.  I couldn’t… ugh.”

“Hey.”  Kuroo runs a frustrated hand through his hair and Daichi’s voice softens.  He nudges Kuroo out of the way and steps inside.  “It’s not a big deal.  I wouldn’t come if I didn’t want to be here.”

Kuroo follows him into the kitchen and settles himself against the counter next to Daichi as he pulls out snacks and leftover takeout from the paper bag he had been carrying.  It’s only when he turns to stick the bag near the garbage can that he realizes the faded black sweatshirt Kuroo is wearing is in fact Daichi’s old Karasuno sweatshirt.

“Do you ever wear your own clothes anymore?”  He teases as he sticks the takeout containers in the microwave behind Kuroo and leans back against the counter next to him.  “Probably not because I have a whole stack of them in my closet and dresser.”  He nudges Kuroo’s shoulder and points to the jacket he’s wearing: a red and white Nekoma jacket.  “Half the time I wind up wearing your stuff because I have none of my own.”  The t-shirt he’s wearing under it, some graphic tee from some band he’s never heard of, is Kuroo’s too and he unzips the jacket to show him.

That at least gets him a half a smile as the microwave dings behind them.

They settle at the table while they eat.  The only sounds are their chopsticks digging through boxes and the occasional creak of their chairs when they adjust their legs and bump ankles and knees.  They don’t talk and that’s okay.  Daichi knows that occasionally Kuroo just needs another person there, another set of lungs breathing, another heartbeat pulsing, another body taking up space.  He understands the feeling to a degree which is why he’s never shut the door of his own apartment in Kuroo’s face no matter how much he’s wanted to some days.

Daichi doesn’t even bother asking when the last time Kuroo did dishes was, or when he last ate properly or slept or any of those things even though he wants to.  Because he knows right now Kuroo just needs some time with him in the room.  Which is why he doesn’t even say anything when Kuroo joins him at the counter as he fills the sink to wash dishes and just slides closer until his arm his pressed against Daichi’s.  It makes it twice as hard to properly wash dishes but that’s alright.

He doesn’t know why Kuroo gets this way but he’s glad that he can help at least a little.  Kenma has texted him thank you messages a couple times when Kuroo’s had a bad week and Daichi has let him crash into his apartment or, less frequently, when Daichi has come over to Kuroo’s apartment so he figures whatever he does, even if it’s just sitting with Kuroo and studying while he curls on the couch and naps, it’s helping something.

“Hey, Papa Bear?”

“Hmm?”  He rinses a handful of silverware off and sets them in the dish rack.  Kuroo is draped across his back, chin hooked over his shoulder, and watches as he scrubs a serving spoon clean.

“Thanks.”

“It’s no problem.  I-” His eyes narrow as the conversation slams into his brain and he freezes, spoon slipping from his fingers and plunking into the sink.  " _ That’s _ what you've been calling me?  Papa Bear?"

Kuroo huffs against his neck and Daichi can’t tell if it’s genuine pouting or playful until Kuroo replies.  "I see how much you listen to me"  

Playful it is then.  Daichi can handle that.  He picks the spoon back up and rinses it off carefully before dropping it into the dish rack and sticking the couple plates in the sink to soak.  He turns his head and gets a faceful of Kuroo’s hair before turning back to the sink.

"To be fair you talk a lot."

Kuroo gasps and pokes Daichi’s side.  "I only talk when I have something important to say."

"I never hear anything all that important."

"Because you don't listen to me."

"I'm listening now."  Daichi scrubs the plates clean and grabs the frying pan that’s left.

"But this isn't important."

"Yet,” Daichi hums, “you're still talking..."

Kuroo takes a deep breath and pulls away and Daichi can finally turn and see his face properly.  He’s standing there with his mouth parted just a little and his eyes wide.  A perfect picture of dramatic betrayal that makes Daichi’s stomach flip flop.

“You did not just go there.”  Kuroo hisses.  Daichi stares at him for a moment and then gives him a toothy grin before turning back to the sink to finish the dishes.

Kuroo grumbles and grouches and when Daichi comes out ten minutes later, drying his hands on a dish towel, he finds Kuroo asleep on his couch with a pout still on his lips.

Daichi takes pictures.  He sends one to Kenma letting him know that Kuroo had called him.

Another he sends to Suga and Asahi with the caption “the pouting face is creepily adorable."

It’s not until he’s in the bathroom digging his spare toothbrush out of Kuroo’s medicine cabinet that the flip flop his stomach did properly registers.

“Oh,” he says to his startled reflection as the door swings shut.  He had totally wanted to kiss that stupid look off of Kuroo’s face.  “Oh.”


	11. it's okay to not be ready for it

It had probably always been there, a tiny inkling of an idea in the very back of his mind, since that training camp third year.  The teeniest grain of sand of a thought about a rival captain that slowly rolled itself into a pebble of interest over the year.  Just a shiny pebble that occasionally caught his mind’s eye when Daichi laughed just right or scoffed at him or told a terrible joke.  A pebble that rolled into notice when their elbows bumped or he fell asleep on Daichi’s couch and woke up with Daichi snoring with his head on Tetsurou's thigh.

And then one sentence changed it all.  One tiny sentence.

_“...you’re here so at least I’m not lost alone.”_

Suddenly that tiny pebble was a boulder that refused to budge and Kuroo Tetsurou was done for.

Because he was always close to his friends.  He was always in their space, shoulders pressing together and hands ruffling hair and elbows in sides.  Texting them when he couldn’t sleep.  Falling asleep on their couches.  Dozens of tiny habits that Kenma and Bokuto and Yaku could attest to - and probably a dozen more that he would like to be able to pretend never happen.

But the thing is…

Well to put it bluntly the thing is that he never wanted to kiss Kenma.  He never found himself daydreaming about some random future where he wakes up and rolls out of bed to make breakfast for Bokuto.  And other than the short amount of time where they both weren’t sure what was going on between them he never wanted to just lay around and hold hands with Yaku.

He wasn’t just close to Daichi.  He was almost frighteningly close to him.

Daichi had a toothbrush in his medicine cabinet.  There was an entire drawer in his dresser of clothes that he had borrowed and forgotten to return to Daichi.  Half of his Netflix queue was filled with stuff that he added simply because he wondered if Daichi had seen or would enjoy them.

And the biggest thing was that he didn’t mind it.  In fact he liked having Daichi’s things mixed in with his own, he liked having Daichi’s favorite cereal in his cupboard, he liked... _Daichi_.

He liked Daichi and now every brush of their knees, every laugh where Daichi leaned into his shoulder, every time he pulled on a sweatshirt and realized it wasn’t his own felt like it could be so much more.  Every time they collapsed onto the floor or couch after laughing, sprawling on top of each other like they forgot whose limbs were whose, and didn’t immediately separate made his heart stutter-stop-rush.  Every time Daichi let him catch his wrist or ruffle his hair or answered his phone at 2 AM sent a flood of emotions racing through his veins.  Daichi’s smile warmed him to his bones.

Sometimes he wondered if Daich felt something similar.  If those almost lingering touches and hazy smiles and warmth were something Daichi wanted as much as he did.

But he couldn’t ask.  Not… not quite yet.

Because if he did and he was wrong about it then, well, he just wanted to keep this a little longer.  Keep the innocent cookie crumb, cereal, laughter filled, broken box life he had going on.

Even if waking up on his couch after only a few hours of sleep and finding Daichi curled up in his bed made a sense of rightness so powerful he actually stopped breathing for a moment wash over him before he shook his head and crawled under the covers with his back inches from Daichi’s.


	12. is it hot in here?

_ Tetsurou: sometimes I forget that I live alone and get disappointed no one is here to cook for me when I am hungry and don’t want to do it myself _

_ Kitten: One.  It’s almost 10pm why are you even hungry?  Two.  Why are you telling me?  Three.  I thought you liked not having anyone around to tell you what to do. _

_ Tetsurou: 1 Cause I didn’t eat supper, 2 Cause you’re my friend and you listen to me, 3 true. _

He glances around his kitchen again and opens a couple cupboards, hoping in a tiny part of his mind that will forever be stuck in childhood that there will magically be food this time.  Maybe a sandwich or cookies or even the box of cereal he knows is actually sitting in Daichi’s cupboard.

_ Tetsurou: You have my cereal.  :( _

_ Kitten: I never asked you to bring it over or forget to take it home with you. _

He sucks in a breath and starts opening cupboards again, hoping he saw everything he thought he did.  A quick look in the fridge cements the decision.

_ Tetsurou: Cookies. _

_ Kitten: …. what? _

_ Tetsurou: I am making cookies.  Right now.  There is no one to bother me and no one to stop me. _

_ Kitten: As the voice of reason in this friendship… I have to tell you this is not a good idea. _

_ Tetsurou: Well you’re not here to stop me. _

_ Tetsurou: OR help me.  So I’m gonna do it anyway. _

He tosses his phone onto the couch before digging out his ingredients with a grin.  He hasn’t had fresh baked chocolate chip cookies since some time last year when he convinced Kenma to help him make some.  He’s not entirely sure how old the chocolate chips are but he pops a handful into his mouth while he gets everything set up and they taste okay so he figures they’ll be fine.

Operation “Chocolate Chip Cookies at 10PM Because No One is Here to Stop Me” is a go.

 

Daichi stares down at his lap, eyes darting from his phone in his left hand to his pencil in his right, and sighs.

_ Nyan Cat: Well you’re not here to stop me. _

_ Nyan Cat: OR help me.  So I’m gonna do it anyway. _

He really, really shouldn’t.  Even though the paper he’s outlining isn’t due for another two weeks and it’s Thursday and his class for tomorrow has already been cancelled due to the instructor being out with the flu, there’s still laundry to do and some dishes and that tv show he wanted to catch up on.

He prides himself on his willpower.  On his ability to focus even when he wants to be anywhere else.  They were important skills he honed as a captain, along with taking no shit from anyone (except Suga because he doesn’t count,) having a glare that could stop traffic and fighting children, and being able to take a punch to the chest and keep breathing.

He really doesn’t need to make the forty minute trip to Kuroo’s apartment at almost 10 PM just because he’s baking cookies and basically challenged Daichi to show up.

He really doesn’t.

Suga is probably laughing in his apartment right now without understanding why.

The door in front of him swings open and there’s that punch in the chest he needs to remember how to breathe through when he sees Kuroo standing there in sweats and, once again, one of Daichi’s sweatshirts with the sleeves rolled up and a fresh cookie in his hand.  Kuroo waves him in with a grin.

“Okay.”  Daichi tries not to smile or blush but it’s hard because it’s warm in the apartment and he can smell fresh baked cookies and Kuroo looks so damn  pleased to see him and it makes his toes curl a little in his socks as something warm and content curls up in his stomach.  “Where are my cookies?"

Kuroo takes a bite out of the cookie in his hand and licks melting chocolate off his fingers.  "You didn't come to see me?”  He asks after he swallows.  For a moment Daichi’s mind blanks and he wonders what it would taste like to chase that drop of chocolate off Kuroo’s wrist with his own tongue.  He shakes his head, thankful that Kuroo’s apartment is so warm that he can pretend the blush on his face is from that as he clears his throat.

"I came to see if you burnt down your kitchen."

"Well I didn't."

"I can see that. So.  Again... where are my cookies?"

Kuroo finishes off the cookie in his hand and tilts his head a little to study Daichi.

“Well.  You didn’t come to help make them.  So.  No cookies for you.”

“What?”

“My apartment my rules.”  Kuroo grins and wiggles his eyebrows.

Daichi stares at him for a minute, debating how to play this, and then shrugs.  "Fine.  I'll go make my own,” he says as he sniffs once and turns back to the door.  “Have a nice night I guess.”

 

Tetsurou blinks at his closed door, unsure if he just saw and heard what he did.  His fingers twitch at his sides as he hears the door at the end of the hallway close.  Daichi had a pout on his face before he turned around.

Sawamura fucking Daichi had a honest to god  _ pout _ on his face, lower lip jutting out slightly, cheeks puffed out the tiniest bit, and everything.

Tetsurou wants to chase after him and kiss the stupid look off his face.

Instead he practically dives into his couch and digs his phone out from between the cushions, fingers nearly shaking as he pulls up his contact list and hits the call button.  He stands and heads to his window to peek outside as the phone rings and he spots Daichi no more than a dozen steps from the front of his building when he picks up.

Tetsurou sighs when Daichi turns around and looks up to his window expectantly.

"Fine don't be a pouty baby.  Come back and I'll share my cookies with you."

He can see the mock offended look on Daichi’s face from here and he really wishes sometimes that Daichi would stop being so damn attractive long enough for his heart to beat properly.

"Pouty baby?  I don't think I want your company if you're gonna call me names."  Despite his words he’s already walking back towards the building.

"You're cute when you pout if that's any consolation."

The words are out before he can stop them and Daichi pauses, hand on the door handle, before he shakes his head and mumbles.

“They better be good cookies."

 

When he finally gets back into the apartment and settles onto the couch with a handful of cookies Daichi grumbles about the quality just to be a shit and maybe a little bit because he’s flustered.  Just a tiny bit because goddamn Kuroo always has to sound so sincere when he talks to Daichi and says shit like that.

"Admit it.”  Kuroo says from the kitchen as he swaps out more cookies.  “It's not like you had anything more important to do than come see me considering it took you less than an hour to get here.  You wanted to see me,” he teases as he comes out of the kitchen, cheeks flushed from the heat of the oven and eyes twinkling, “I just gave you an excuse.”

"Keep it up and I'll have an excuse to leave."

He doesn’t want to leave, and really has no intention of doing so, which is obvious because he’s practically melted into Kuroo’s couch because it is the most comfortable thing other than his own bed he’s ever sat on.  Kuroo just huffs a little and flops onto the other end of the couch with the bowl of fresh baked cookies, poking at Daichi’s legs with his toes until Daichi gives in and moves around enough for them to comfortably tangle their legs together.

Kuroo sets the bowl between them and reaches down for another smaller bowl Daichi hadn’t noticed.  His eyes widen when he realizes that it’s a bowl of raw cookie dough.

“Before you say a word I don’t care that it’s technically not ‘safe’ to eat raw cookie dough.  I’m gonna do it anyway.”

“You’re not going to share?”

“Nope.”  A couple minutes later he scrapes down to the bottom of the bowl with a grin.  “No matter how much you Captain frown me it won’t matter.  I was a captain too.  I’m immune.”

 

Tetsurou almost wavers when he glances up and sees Daichi’s frown smooth down into a pout, he even pulls out the puppy dog look, eyes wide as he blinks and looks at pathetic as he possibly can.  He almost expects a whine to slip from Daichi’s throat and he swallows hard around the other thoughts that try to surface with that idea.

He takes a steadying breath, meets Daichi’s gaze head on, and pops the last spoonful into his mouth.  Daichi watches the movement, the way Tetsurou pulls the spoon out of his mouth and licks off the last bit of dough before swallowing and licking his lips.  If Tetsurou didn’t know any better he’d swear Daichi looks like he’s going to lean forward at any moment and kiss the taste of cookie dough straight from Tetsurou’s lips.

 

Daichi’s eyes drop to Kuroo’s lips and then jump back up as he starts to slide his legs off the couch.

 

Tetsurou’s fingers tighten on the spoon in his hands, empty bowl tossed on the floor as he sits up, eyes locked on Daichi’s.  He can hear his blood pumping in his veins and the wired buzz of his mind as it blanks and he leans forward.

Daichi pauses and glances towards the kitchen with a confused sniff and Tetsurou freezes with realization.

“Shit,” he hisses and jumps off the couch.  “I had one last batch in the oven.”

When he pulls the cookie sheet out and drops it onto the stove with a sigh at the sight of the blackened cookies Daichi laughs softly from the doorway.

“See.  I knew you were going to try and burn the kitchen down.”


	13. good luck (you're gonna need it)

Tetsurou stumbles into the kitchen chasing the smell of coffee and Daichi’s bodywash.  The mug of coffee that is handed over is nearly was warm as the laugh that follows it and both heat his stomach as he leans against the counter with a happy sigh.

“You’re so good to me,” Tetsurou practically purrs when Daichi steers him to the table and pushes him into a chair, body radiating heat from the shower he must have finished just a few minutes before Tetsurou woke up.

Daichi leaves for a moment as Tetsurou happily drinks coffee and debates the merits of just going back to sleep right here at the kitchen table.

“Yeah well,” Daichi says as when he comes back and nudges Testurou awake again, “I’m just being nice because I have to go so I can make the train back to my parent’s place on time and if I don’t get you up you won’t make it to your finals on time either cause you’re a lazy cat in the mornings.”

“Such a sweet talker.”

“Yeah, well, this sweet talker has to go.”

Daichi starts to move away but pauses when Tetsurou’s hand reaches out and snags the front of his jacket.  It’s actually Tetsurou’s Nekoma jacket, he realizes in the back of his mind as he tugs Daichi forward and leans in for a kiss.  Daichi’s lips are warm and taste like toothpaste and coffee and he only freezes for the briefest of moments before he wraps one hand around Tetsurou’s neck and covers Tetsurou’s hand on his coffee mug with the other.

Daichi’s kiss tastes like mornings and naps in the sun and a million tiny firecrackers going off in Tetsurou’s veins and they both part with a reluctant sigh as Daichi’s phone alarm goes off.

“I really have to go,” he mumbles as he presses forward for another kiss that Tetsurou hums into.  Daichi pulls back with a sigh and steps away.  “Don’t forget to leave in time to make it for your final.”  Daichi’s cheeks are flushed and his lips look downright delectable especially when he runs the tip of his tongue over them and cocks his head at Tetsurou.

“Kuroo are you listening to me?”

He blinks away from his coffee sleepily and eyes Daichi standing in the kitchen doorway, phone in one hand and overnight bag in the other.  A daydream.  A stupid daydream about the stupid boy he has a stupid crush on.  He sighs and swirls the last of his coffee around in the mug.

“Sorry, spaced out a little.  What was that?”

Daichi rolls his eyes and shifts slightly, his university hoodie dark in the morning sunlight, as Tetsurou downs the rest of his coffee. 

“I said thanks again for letting me stay.  The extra hour of sleep makes it much easier to make it to my parent’s place without falling asleep on the train.  And I’m sorry I can’t stay to celebrate finishing finals with you this weekend.”  Tetsurou shrugs and sets his coffee mug in the sink before heading to the door to see Daichi out.

“It’s no problem.  Go be with your family for a bit.  We can hang out and get drunk and make questionable decisions when you get back.”

Daichi’s laugh fills Tetsurou to the brim with warmth and good cheer and he wonders just how strange it would be to record it to listen to on bad days.

“Sounds like a plan.  Good luck on your final today.”

Tetsurou leans in the doorway as Daichi turns to leave and he blames the fact he’s only been awake twenty minutes or so and the underlying buzz under his skin from that stupid daydream on what comes out of his mouth.

“Aw no good luck kiss?”

Daichi freezes, glances over his shoulder at Tetsurou, and then steps back up to him.  Tetsurou’s eyes widen as Daichi reaches out and grabs his faded t-shirt and pulls him forward to plant a kiss on his forehead.

“Good luck,” he whispers, cheeks red, before turning and heading down the hallway.

 

Tetsurou is so, so screwed.


	14. you're in so deep

“Okay I get it,” Daichi hisses as he twists away and pushes at Kuroo with his feet, “you’re cold.  You have cold hands.  Stop shoving them under my shirt what am I supposed to do about it?”

“Warm me up.”  Kuroo pouts and reaches for Daichi again, arms snaking out of the cocoon of blankets he’s buried in as he tries to scoot across the couch.

“The food will be here in like five minutes.  You can warm up then.”

“But Daichi.”  Now he’s whining and Daichi rolls his eyes to the ceiling with a sigh.  “You’re always warm.  Share with me.”

Kuroo scoots even closer, blankets starting to slip from his shoulders as he sits up and leans into Daichi, and Daichi almost misses the gleam in his eyes when he wiggles his fingers.

“Don’t you even-” he manages to get out before Kuroo’s cold fingers are up and under the hem of his shirt and digging into his sides.  “Kuroo,” he gasps, “knock it off.  You know,” his voice breaks on a giggle as he grabs one of Kuroo’s wrists, “I’m ticklish.”

Kuroo jerks forward when Daichi tugs at the wrist in his hand, blankets slipping down and tangling between them when Kuroo tips and nearly smashes his nose into Daichi’s chest.  Daichi hooks his knee around the back of Kuroo’s calves and grins when he tilts his head up with a growl when he can’t wriggle loose.

“This means war,” Kuroo whispers.  Daichi has enough time to tighten the grip on Kuroo’s wrist before he tilts to the side and rolls them off the couch.  They crash to the floor with Kuroo underneath Daichi and he lets out a pained groan.  “I may not have thought that through completely.”

Daichi snorts, shoulders shaking as he tries not to laugh at the embarrassed look on Kuroo’s face.  His laughter slips out in a huff of air as Kuroo surges up and reverses their positions, one hand still in Daichi’s grip and the other still under his shirt pressing against his stomach as Kuroo pushes himself up.  The cool burn of Kuroo’s fingers against his stomach disappears as Kuroo grabs his free hand and pins it above his head, wrist twisting as he does the same with Daichi’s other hand.

“I win,” Kuroo declares, smirk settled contently on his face as he settles his weight forward onto Daichi’s wrists.

Technically it would be easy enough to pop his hips up and throw Kuroo off balance, and he almost does, but then Kuroo blinks rapidly, cheeks flushing as he shifts and sits up suddenly, letting go of Daichi’s wrists like they burned him.

“Well I technically won.  But, you know, you could probably have won that one too.  Also you got to look at me closely so, hey, win-win situation.  Plus I’m definitely warmer now.  Which is another win.”  He continues to ramble, eyes wide as the evening sun lights up the room around him, but he doesn’t get up off of Daichi’s stomach.  The blanket is warm, almost a little stifling, where it’s tangled around and between them and Daichi swears he can feel every shift that Kuroo makes.  He stares as Kuroo’s lips keep moving - still talking - and he doesn’t even know what he’s saying now because all he can think about is shutting him up.  Preferably with his own lips.

So he leans up onto one elbow, wraps his other hand around the back of Kuroo’s neck, and pulls him down into a kiss.  Kuroo’s breath hitches and then he practically melts down against Daichi, hands sinking into Daichi’s hair as he tilts his head and sighs into the kiss.  Their legs tangle together with the blanket and Kuroo laughs when Daichi pulls away and peppers his jaw with kisses before going back to his lips.  The look he gives Daichi when they finally break apart, noses nearly brushing, is so fond and full of love that Daichi has to blink a few times to see it properly.

Kuroo stares down at him in concern, arms crossed against his chest and knee nudging Daichi’s side almost impatiently.

“Are you okay?  I know you tend to zone out on me sometimes but that was like total blanking there.”  He leans forward a little and a cool hand settles on Daichi’s forehead to check his temperature.  Then the doorbell rings and Kuroo is scrambling off of him and trying to untangle himself from the blankets at the same time.  Even though the rest had been just a daydream he could have sworn that for a split-second Kuroo was going to lean down and press his lips to Daichi’s forehead to check his temp.

As Kuroo stumbles away to the door Daichi flops back onto the floor and runs a warm hand down his warmer face with a quiet groan.

 

He is in so much trouble and he’s not even sure he cares.


	15. the council has spoken (and the council is filled with assholes)

Daichi is not drunk - none of them are that he knows of - but the way Suga keeps laughing and eyeing him while he talks to Yaku almost makes Daichi wish he was.  He has no idea what they’re talking about because the one time he tried to get close enough to hear anything Bokuto had suddenly rushed past him dragging a wide-eyed Asahi with him towards where Kuroo was standing and Daichi figured it was in everyone’s best interests if he follow and stop whatever level of Bad Idea was happening before it actually happened.  That was an hour ago and he just finally convinced Bokuto that it didn’t matter if Asahi technically knew how to rollerblade they were not leaving and testing out his brand new amazing blades on the wicked awesome hill outside.  Daichi doesn’t even want to know why Bokuto apparently felt it was necessary to bring roller blades to Suga’s apartment.

He just makes it back to the living room when Suga and Asahi capture him and herd him into the Suga’s bedroom with matching looks on their faces.  Asahi shuts the door and settles against it while Suga crosses his arms and stares at Daichi.

“You know,” Daichi says as he flops onto Suga’s bed, “I think I liked you more when you were afraid of me Asahi.”

“I still am,” Asahi admits with a shrug, “but I’m on Suga’s side so I feel a little safe.”

Suga lets out a sigh that makes Daichi feel all of ten years old as he slowly sits up.

“Okay, Daichi.  We have to know.  Are you and Kuroo dating?”

“Because you two kind of act like you’re dating but you never said anything to us.”  Asahi is pouting over this.  Like the idea that Daichi might date someone and not tell them is the most disappointing thing in the world.

“We’re not dating.  I don’t think we are anyway.  I mean I guess we kinda flirt.”  Suga huffs out a laugh and Daichi rolls his eyes.  “Okay we flirt a lot.  And stay over at each other’s places and stuff?”  Daichi drops his head back and stares at the ceiling as he blushes.  “I don’t know anymore.”

He thinks back to when they arrived - together because they had to ride the same train to Suga’s place so they just met up beforehand and kept each other company on the way over - and the way Bokuto had hooted at them and his first thought had been to look down and double check that he wasn’t wearing one of Kuroo’s shirts.  To the way Kuroo had nudged his shoulder after they slipped out of their shoes on his way past Daichi to smack Bokuto on the shoulder.  To the way he seemed to be tuned into Kuroo’s voice and was constantly listening to the hum of his tone even when they were in different rooms.

Daichi flops back onto Suga’s bed with a groan that has Suga and Asahi sharing an amused look.  Because if they’re not actually dating, well, he kind of wishes they were.

 

Tetsurou feels trapped, like a cornered mouse in front of a wild cat, despite the fact that he was like half a foot taller than the guy in front of him.  Faint memories of Suga standing guard and Daichi’s bathtub and his mistake of underestimating Suga due to his size flicker through his mind as Yaku stalks towards him and corners him against the kitchen counter.

“Tell me,” Yaku jabs him in the chest with his finger, “are you dating Sawamura or just fucking around with him?”

Kuroo squeezes the bottle of water he had just grabbed from the fridge so hard he’s surprised the lid doesn’t pop off.

“Jesus, Yaku.  We’re not…” He gestures vaguely and feels his face turning red as Yaku takes pity on him and finishes his sentence.

“Dating.”

“We’re not dating.  We just joke around a lot and hang out and shit does everyone know I have a huge crush on him?”

“Yeah kinda.  Though if it’s any consolation he totally flirts back with you and Suga told me he talks about you a lot and probably has a crush on you too.”

“Probably?”

“Mhmm.  Though judging by the way you guys were making googly heart eyes at each other earlier I’d personally say he definitely has a crush on you too.”

“We were not making-” Yaku’s words catch up to his mind and he blinks down at him, excitement crawling through his veins.  “Wait.  Really?”

Yaku laughs and shakes his head at him.  “Yes really.  Seriously Kuroo.  As your friend, and for the sake of all of the rest of our friends who have to watch and listen to you two, just ask him out.  I guarantee you he’ll say yes.”

 

Asahi grabs Daichi’s arm and tugs him back as he goes to follow Suga out of his bedroom now that the lecture is apparently over.  

“Just ask him out,” Asahi says with a smile.  “The worst that happens is he says no and then you, Suga, and I stuff ourselves with ice cream together and watch horrible romcoms and make fun of his hair or something.”

“Hey I like his hair.”

“Daichi.”

“Alright.  I get it.”  He pauses in the doorway and punches Asahi’s shoulder.  “Thanks.”

 

If he wasn’t drunk enough before he’s definitely not drunk enough now.  Bokuto had apparently decided that the movie they were watching wasn’t entertaining enough and decided they were all going to play question games.  Ridiculous questions like “would you rather rollerblade down a hill blindfolded or climb the side of Suga’s apartment building nothing but your boxers” and “who has worse bedhead when they wake up: Kuroo or Suga?”

“Whose looks,” Kuroo asks when it’s his turn, “out of all of us, are most deceiving?”

“Suga,” they all reply in unison.

“Hey!” Suga gasps in mock offense when Kuroo laughs.  “I mean, you’re not wrong but you could have at least thought about it.”

“Sorry, Suga.  Most of us know better from experience by now.”

“You’re just saying that because you wound up looking like a wet cat.”

“You hip checked me into a  bathtub .  And then turned the water on.  It’s your fault.”

“You wouldn’t listen to me.”

“Next question?”  Daichi leans forward and breaks them up before they can really get into it.  “Your turn, Yaku?”

“I think so.”  He pauses a moment to think of a question and then grins.  “Okay.  Which two people here would make the cutest couple?”

Daichi’s eyes widen and he refuses to look over to see Kuroo.  But he doesn’t have to look to perfectly imagine the way Kuroo’s cheeks start turning red along with his ears as he stares at Yaku.  He probably has his mouth open in that little ‘o’ of surprise and betrayal.  That dumb look that always makes Daichi want to kiss him.

 

Tetsurou is, in fact, giving Yaku a betrayed look while Yaku stares back calmly, serene smile on his evil little face, and Tetsurou is starting to wonder about his taste in friends when Kenma lets out a tiny little snicker.  He just knows that someone is going to say him and Daichi because apparently everyone in the room knows about his crush on Daichi.  Or, well, their mutual crushes if Yaku is to be believed.

He’s about to open his mouth and probably do something regrettable, like confess to Daichi right there in front of their entire friend group, when Asahi’s voice breaks the silence.

“Suga and Kenma.”

Daichi whips his head around at Asahi’s answer and gets a blushing shrug in response.

“They’re both cute people.  They’d look cute together.”  He clears his throat and scratches his chin when everyone keeps staring at him.  “Uh, next question?”

Akaashi nods and lets out a tiny hum.  “How about, nicest couple?”

“Asahi and Suga,” Yaku replies almost immediately.  “Hey just because Suga is borderline evil genius doesn’t mean he isn’t nice.”  He defends his choice when Kuroo and Bokuto look at him in surprise.

“Loudest couple?” Asahi asks.  “Since we’re on a couples questions kick.”

Yaku and Suga glance at each other and laugh.  “Kuroo and Daichi,” they reply with matching teasing tones and winks.

“In bed,” Kemna mutters and Kuroo nearly chokes on his drink of water.

“I vote Kuroo and Bokuto.”  Daichi says before anyone can comment on Kenma’s addition.

“The correct answer is me.”  Bokuto pokes his thumb into his chest with a grin.  “I am the loudest couple.”  Akaashi sighs.

“Bokuto.  You can’t be a couple alone.”

“Of course not.  I am in a polyamorous relationship with me, myself, and I.”

“While I give you bonus points for using the word ‘polyamorous’ properly I really don’t think that’s how it works, Bokuto.”

“Of course it is, Suga.  Just accept it.”

Another round of questions and Daichi is laughing so hard he’s nearly in tears when it’s finally Bokuto’s turn again.  Bokuto turns to him with a serious look on his face.

“Okay.  Sawamura.  I have to ask you this.”  Daichi wipes away his tears and feels his stomach drop.  Bokuto wouldn’t put him on the spot like this about Kuroo, would he?  The tiniest glint pops up in Bokuto’s eyes and Daichi can feel the panic crawling up his throat and it’s probably only his time as a captain that allows him to keep it from showing because this is Bokuto.  Of course he would put him on the spot about his best friend’s happiness.  “Why did you break Kuroo’s box before I got a chance to sit in it?”

He opens his mouth to respond before Bokuto’s question registers and then snaps it shut again.

“Wait, what?  Seriously?”

“Yes.”

“One, it’s Kuroo’s fault for pulling me down onto him while he was in it.  Two, it was just a box.  Three, I don’t even understand the fascination with sitting in a box.”

“Hey, box is life,” Bokuto states at the same time Kuroo says, “Hey if I fits I sits.”

_ I’m in love with a giant dork _ , Daichi thinks as Kuroo and Bokuto grin at each other and laugh.   _ Oh shit.  I am in love with him. _


	16. this... this is no accident

All Daichi can think about is holding Kuroo’s hand on the walk back to the train station.  Each time they pass under a streetlight or a car bathes them in it’s headlights his eyes are drawn down Kuroo’s arm to his fingers.  As much as they’ve touched and roughhoused and pushed sick-sweat hair from each other’s foreheads and grabbed wrists Daichi doesn’t think they’ve ever held hands in any way.

It’s been years since he’s held hands with someone.  He wonders if his fingers would fit between Kuroo’s comfortably and if Kuroo’s fingers would stay cold even when wrapped around his own.

They cut through a park and decide to settle on a bench for awhile, neither really ready to hop on a train back towards their own apartments just yet.

Daichi watches Kuroo stretch in the dim lighting of the park, watches his eyes flutter shut in contentment when his back pops, watches his lips part with a content sigh before he slumps over against Daichi’s shoulder.  He’s still thinking about holding Kuroo’s hands, his own fingers twitching in his pocket as Kuroo rolls his head back enough to look up at the stars.

“We kind of have assholes for friends.”

“Yeah we kind of do.”

Would Kuroo’s hands get sweaty if he just reached out and grabbed them?  

“But I supposed they don’t mean us any harm, right?”

“No.  Suga never does anything with any real malice, not to his friends.”

Would Kuroo get that blush on the tops of his cheeks and the tips of his ears?

Daichi slips his hand out of his pocket, careful not to dislodge Kuroo’s head from his shoulder, and slowly spreads his fingers out along the surface of the bench, rough wood biting into his skin as he inches them outwards until he can just feel the heat from Kuroo’s hand on his pinky.

Would he pull away or simply curl his fingers against Daichi’s hand?

 

Tetsurou takes a deep breath as Daichi’s finger brushes his hand and shuts his eyes.

It’s now or never.

“Yaku said something interesting to me tonight.”

“Did he?”

Daichi’s answers are distracted as he slowly inches his fingers along and finally hooks his pinky around Tetsurou’s on the bench.

“Yeah.”  Tetsurou moves his hand over Daichi’s and flips it so their fingers tangle together.  “He said I should just ask you to be my boyfriend already.”

“Really?”  Daichi sounds a little breathless as he squeezes Tetsurou’s fingers and Tetsurou cracks his eyes open to glance at him and forgets what he was going to say for a moment because Daichi’s cheeks are flushed pink and his eyes are wide and dark and breathtaking in the dim light of the nearby streetlamp and Tetsurou is pretty sure he’s never going to stop falling in love with the way Daichi’s look makes his stomach twirl and his pulse sing.

“Uh, yeah.”  He clears his throat and licks his lips.  “And I was thinking that if you wanted to be my boyfriend I’d be pretty damn ecstatic about it since I like you so much.”

 

Daichi swallows hard against the swell of happiness that lodges in his throat and he shrugs.

“Being your boyfriend doesn’t sound like it would be that bad of a thing, you know.  Seeing as how I like you so much too.”

“Hey Daichi,” Kuroo says softly and tugs a little on Daichi’s hand.  “Can I kiss you?”

Daichi nods and then Kuroo’s lips are on his own and it’s so much better than any daydream he’s had over the last months.  Because Kuroo is warm and his lips are chapped against Daichi’s own and taste a little like the vanilla lip balm he used earlier and the fingers of his free hand run cooly down Daichi’s burning cheek before sliding against his neck and most of all it’s real.  Kuroo pulls back with a content smile on his lips, thumb running along Daichi’s jaw as he bumps their foreheads together with a quiet laugh.

“Boyfriends?”

“Boyfriends.”  Daichi answers and Tetsurou feels his heart nearly pound out of his chest when Daichi tilts his head and slides their lips together again.  Because this is no daydream.  This feels like a promise.  Like Daichi wants to do this everyday.  Like he’s grounding Tetsurou with his smooth lips and warm hand tangled in Tetsurou’s jacket and fingers tightening around Tetsurou’s own.  Whispering words of love and forever with nothing but the way his breath skitters across Tetsurou’s cheek when he pulls away to bury his face against Tetsurou’s neck.

 

 

** BONUS: **

Daichi can hear Kuroo and Bokuto in the hallway outside Kuroo’s apartment as he hurriedly puts the finishing touches on his project before dropping onto the couch.

“Hey, we’re back!”  Kuroo calls out and Daichi calls out that he’s in the living room as they kick off their shoes.  Kuroo’s eyes glimmer with mischief when he peeks around the corner and spots the gift in the center of the room.  He makes a beeline for the couch and drops next to Daichi with a quick kiss on his cheek before Bokuto comes into the room.

“What’s that?”  Bokuto asks, eyes gliding over the brightly wrapped gift and colorful ribbons around it before sliding over to Daichi.  Kuroo slips his phone out of his pocket and plays around with it while Daichi shrugs.

“It’s for you.  Open it.”  Bokuto spots the full sized piece of paper that has “FOR BOKUTO” printed on it and his eyes go wide as he rushes over to the gift and starts ripping the paper off.  Bright green and blue paper shreds fly through the air, along with a bright yellow ribbon, shimmering in the afternoon light as Bokuto giggles.  Daichi leans into Kuroo and glances from the video he’s taking to the actual spectacle of that is Bokuto.

Bokuto rips open the top and pauses, head tilted and hair drooping a little as he takes in what’s inside.

“Pillows?”  

Daichi nods.

“And a blanket?”

He nods again.  Kuroo nudges him with his elbow and mouths  _ I don’t think he gets it _ when Daichi looks at him.

“Bokuto.  What are they in?”

“A box?”

“A  _ giant _ box.  That literally has your name on it.”

Bokuto’s eyes dart down to the cardboard at his waist and then to the pillows inside it.

The next thing Daichi knows he has Bokuto practically in his lap and squeezing the air out of him before shooting away and practically diving into the box with a gleeful shout.

“You’re the best Daichi!”

 

“I still don’t get it,” he mutters later as he peeks in from the kitchen and spots Bokuto and Kuroo in nearly identical boxes on opposite sides of the living room with their phones out, probably texting and snapchatting each other.

_ Tetsurou’s Man: I am pretty sure I fell in love with the biggest dork I knew. _

_ fallen angel (evil little shit): regretting it already? _

_ Tetsurou’s Man: Nah.  Falling for him wasn’t a mistake.  Just… an accident. _


End file.
